ACE: A Notre Dame Partnership that Prepares Students for College and Heaven

Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) is a program where students pursuing their Master's degree are able to fully submerge themselves into their Catholic faith on a professional level. Those receiving a M.Ed. are sent to Catholic schools around the country and enter the classroom to combine their Catholic faith with their passion for teaching America's youth. Carroll has the amazing privilege to have two teachers working with our Lions, one being Nicholas Denari.

Mr. Denari has attended Catholic schools since Kindergarten. After completing his studies at Boston College, he entered Notre Dame where his passion for teaching landed him in the halls of Carroll. In his mathematics classroom, he mainly interacts with seniors studying Algebra II and Pre-Calculus. The classroom wasn't enough for Nicholas, he also volunteers his time as an assistant track coach for distance runners and was a chaperone for the annual Kairos retreat.

"Kairos is based on Jesuit teachings" Nicholas explained, reflecting on his formative academic years in a Jesuit school. As a faculty leader, he was able to experience his first Kairos retreat with Carroll's juniors and seniors. He worked closely with seven student leaders leading up to the trip. "I had the chance to see a student of mine be so vulnerable in Christ," Nicholas recalled. "Preparing for Kairos was so powerful. I see God in my students when they can navigate their hardships and still find ways to be thankful."

After navigating through his first few months, Nicholas began to notice how students blended their experience with Christ into their daily lives. "I have three girls in my Honors Algebra II class who are member of the gospel choir. 99 percent of the time, they are belting out gospel music, but it is their way of connecting to God in their daily actions" Despite the nuances that every teen educator experiences, the religious enrichment of the students' lives is ever present, if you take the time to look. Nicholas reflected on one of his fondest memories to date as a Carroll teacher, "I received a note from a student that read, 'I wish I could be half as good a math teacher as you,' and to know that it came from a student who isn't always excited to come to class made my day."

Carroll is delighted to host to one of Notre Dame's brightest and most passionate students